IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v16y2023i3p1292-d1046763.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

UAV Photogrammetry Application for Determining the Influence of Shading on Solar Photovoltaic Array Energy Efficiency

Author

Listed:
  • Vytautas Bocullo

    (Centre for Smart Cities and Infrastructure, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentų g. 48, 51367 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Linas Martišauskas

    (Lithuanian Energy Institute, Breslaujos g. 3, 44403 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Darius Pupeikis

    (Centre for Smart Cities and Infrastructure, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentų g. 48, 51367 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Ramūnas Gatautis

    (Lithuanian Energy Institute, Breslaujos g. 3, 44403 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Rytis Venčaitis

    (Centre for Smart Cities and Infrastructure, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentų g. 48, 51367 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Rimantas Bakas

    (Lithuanian Energy Institute, Breslaujos g. 3, 44403 Kaunas, Lithuania)

Abstract

The field of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants has seen significant growth in recent years, with an increasing number of installations being developed worldwide. However, despite advancements in technology and design, the impact of shading on the performance of PV plants remains an area of concern. Accurate 3D models produced using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry can provide aid to evaluate shading from nearby surroundings and to determine the potential of a site for electricity production via solar PV plants. The main objective of this paper is to address the problem of shadows significantly reducing energy yield in solar PV plants by proposing a methodology that aims at assessing the shading effects on PV systems and determining the optimal configuration for a PV module array using an accurate digital environment 3D model built using UAV photogrammetry. A high-level-of-detail 3D model allows us to evaluate possible obstacles for PV module array construction and accurately recreate the proximities that can cast shadows. The methodology was applied to grid-connected PV systems in Kaunas, Lithuania. The results of the case study show that electricity production in PV modules is highest at a 15° tilt angle when the distance between PV rows is 1.25 m. The proposed methodology gives an 11% difference in PV yield due to shading compared with other tools that do not include shading. This study also highlights that at least 30% financing support is necessary for solar PV plants to be economically attractive, resulting in a payback of 9 years and an internal rate of return of 8%. Additionally, this study can help optimize the design and layout of PV systems, making them more efficient and cost-effective.

Suggested Citation

  • Vytautas Bocullo & Linas Martišauskas & Darius Pupeikis & Ramūnas Gatautis & Rytis Venčaitis & Rimantas Bakas, 2023. "UAV Photogrammetry Application for Determining the Influence of Shading on Solar Photovoltaic Array Energy Efficiency," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-19, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:3:p:1292-:d:1046763
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/3/1292/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/3/1292/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gallardo-Saavedra, Sara & Hernández-Callejo, Luis & Duque-Perez, Oscar, 2018. "Technological review of the instrumentation used in aerial thermographic inspection of photovoltaic plants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 566-579.
    2. Diane Palmer & Elena Koumpli & Ian Cole & Ralph Gottschalg & Thomas Betts, 2018. "A GIS-Based Method for Identification of Wide Area Rooftop Suitability for Minimum Size PV Systems Using LiDAR Data and Photogrammetry," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-22, December.
    3. Farhadi, Rouhollah & Taki, Morteza, 2020. "The energy gain reduction due to shadow inside a flat-plate solar collector," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(P1), pages 730-740.
    4. Martín Silva & Justo Jose Roberts & Pedro Osvaldo Prado, 2021. "Calculation of the Shading Factors for Solar Modules with MATLAB," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-23, August.
    5. Odysseas Tsafarakis & Kostas Sinapis & Wilfried G. J. H. M. van Sark, 2019. "A Time-Series Data Analysis Methodology for Effective Monitoring of Partially Shaded Photovoltaic Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, May.
    6. Pawita Bunme & Shuhei Yamamoto & Atsushi Shiota & Yasunori Mitani, 2021. "GIS-Based Distribution System Planning for New PV Installations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-18, June.
    7. Trzmiel, G. & Głuchy, D. & Kurz, D., 2020. "The impact of shading on the exploitation of photovoltaic installations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 480-498.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Segovia Ramírez, Isaac & Pliego Marugán, Alberto & García Márquez, Fausto Pedro, 2022. "A novel approach to optimize the positioning and measurement parameters in photovoltaic aerial inspections," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 371-389.
    2. Shariq, M. Hasan & Hughes, Ben Richard, 2020. "Revolutionising building inspection techniques to meet large-scale energy demands: A review of the state-of-the-art," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    3. Dušan Katunský & Marián Vertaľ & Erika Dolníková & Silvia Zozuláková & Kristián Hutkai & Zuzana Dická, 2022. "Mutual Interaction of Daylight and Overheating in the Attic Space in Summer Time," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-25, November.
    4. Qiong Wu & Xiaofeng Zhang & Qi Wang, 2024. "Integrating Renewable Energy in Transportation: Challenges, Solutions, and Future Prospects on Photovoltaic Noise Barriers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-19, March.
    5. Hannes Koch & Stefan Lechner & Sebastian Erdmann & Martin Hofmann, 2022. "Assessing the Potential of Rooftop Photovoltaics by Processing High-Resolution Irradiation Data, as Applied to Giessen, Germany," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-17, September.
    6. Ghoname Abdullah & Hidekazu Nishimura & Toshio Fujita, 2021. "An Experimental Investigation on Photovoltaic Array Power Output Affected by the Different Partial Shading Conditions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-14, April.
    7. La Guardia, Marcello & D'Ippolito, Filippo & Cellura, Maurizio, 2022. "A GIS-based optimization model finalized to the localization of new power-to-gas plants: The case study of Sicily (Italy)," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 828-835.
    8. Arias-Rosales, Andrés & LeDuc, Philip R., 2022. "Shadow modeling in urban environments for solar harvesting devices with freely defined positions and orientations," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    9. Luis Miguel Pérez Archila & Juan David Bastidas-Rodríguez & Rodrigo Correa & Luz Adriana Trejos Grisales & Daniel Gonzalez-Montoya, 2020. "A Solution of Implicit Model of Series-Parallel Photovoltaic Arrays by Using Deterministic and Metaheuristic Global Optimization Algorithms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-22, February.
    10. Primož Mavsar & Klemen Sredenšek & Bojan Štumberger & Miralem Hadžiselimović & Sebastijan Seme, 2019. "Simplified Method for Analyzing the Availability of Rooftop Photovoltaic Potential," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-17, November.
    11. Arkadiusz Dobrzycki & Dariusz Kurz & Stanisław Mikulski & Grzegorz Wodnicki, 2020. "Analysis of the Impact of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) on Reducing the Demand for Electricity and Heat in Buildings Located in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-19, May.
    12. Herez, Amal & El Hage, Hicham & Lemenand, Thierry & Ramadan, Mohamad & Khaled, Mahmoud, 2021. "Parabolic trough photovoltaic/thermal hybrid system: Thermal modeling and parametric analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(P1), pages 224-236.
    13. Baek, Jieun & Choi, Yosoon, 2023. "Optimal installation and operation planning of parking spaces for solar-powered electric vehicles using hemispherical images," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(P1).
    14. Ewa Klugmann-Radziemska, 2020. "Shading, Dusting and Incorrect Positioning of Photovoltaic Modules as Important Factors in Performance Reduction," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-12, April.
    15. Gallardo-Saavedra, Sara & Hernández-Callejo, Luis & Duque-Pérez, Oscar, 2019. "Quantitative failure rates and modes analysis in photovoltaic plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 825-836.
    16. Vytautas Bocullo & Linas Martišauskas & Ramūnas Gatautis & Otilija Vonžudaitė & Rimantas Bakas & Darius Milčius & Rytis Venčaitis & Darius Pupeikis, 2023. "A Digital Twin Approach to City Block Renovation Using RES Technologies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-26, June.
    17. Dariusz Kurz & Agata Nowak, 2023. "Analysis of the Impact of the Level of Self-Consumption of Electricity from a Prosumer Photovoltaic Installation on Its Profitability under Different Energy Billing Scenarios in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-40, January.
    18. Huixue Ren & Peide Han, 2021. "Necessity Analysis of Bypass Diode for AC Module under Partial Shading Condition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-12, August.
    19. Liu, Zhengguang & Guo, Zhiling & Chen, Qi & Song, Chenchen & Shang, Wenlong & Yuan, Meng & Zhang, Haoran, 2023. "A review of data-driven smart building-integrated photovoltaic systems: Challenges and objectives," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PE).
    20. Azaioud, Hakim & Farnam, Arash & Knockaert, Jos & Vandevelde, Lieven & Desmet, Jan, 2024. "Efficiency optimisation and converterless PV integration by applying a dynamic voltage on an LVDC backbone," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 356(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:3:p:1292-:d:1046763. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.